Australia lost their opening game of the 2019 Asian Cup to Jordan. The defending Champions have since come under immense scrutiny following that defeat.
The coach has been criticised, the players have been criticised, and even the officials have been criticised for not giving Australia a penalty! Let’s not forget this was Australia’s best set piece in World Cup qualification.
Was all this criticism warranted? To some degree yes, but to a large extent no it wasn’t.
There have been many wise heads who know football who were warning those in power at the Football Federation of Australia that the development path they had chosen for the next generation of players was doomed to fail. Those in power chose to ignore these wise men and women, and ultimately they are the ones to blame. (Player Development the Elephant in the Room)
Jordan defeating Australia was always on the cards, unless Australia could find a way of scoring goals. Also, in their previous two matches before this one outside of Australia, Jordan had been victorious in both. Yet the expectation was high amongst many fans that Australia would waltz through the group stage, and only be challenged at the knock out stage of the competition.
Australia may well still finish second in their pool and progress, but this defeat has brought the realisation that no matter the hyperbole, Australian football is a long way from where it was 15 years ago.
Despite the advertisements proclaiming the players are “made in the A-League,” the A-League is simply not a strong enough competition to prepare top players for International football. The A-league has become Australia’s greatest re-cycling plant. A Young player on the fringes of a team is released only to appear at another A-League team, and if he is lucky another team before he is released back to the State competition. The better A-League players head off to Europe or lucrative leagues in Asia, but after finding out how tough life is in those countries and how tough the competition is in Europe, come home to be heralded, almost like a prodigal son returning. These players in the main have failed to succeed overseas, why are they given hero status on their return? Why do they opt to come home rather than tough it out? (Pathway is Really a Cup de Sac)
Since Gold Coast United were thrown out of the A-League how many players have the current A-League Youth teams produced? As Fox Sports commentator Brenton Speed tweeted at the end of December, “New Zealand’s 1 @aleague team has two Kiwi teenagers starting every week and playing well (Singh, Cacace)… the 9 Australian @aleague teams currently have 1 teenager combined starting – Dane Ingham (and he’s a Kiwi).”
Credit to Mark Rudan coach of Wellington Phoenix for giving youth a chance, but where are the Australian teenagers coming through? Are they being held back by cautious coaches, hellbent on not losing to save their own careers? Or is the talent simply not there? Let us not forget the likes of Giggs, Beckham, Milner, and Rooney were all playing in the Premier League as teenagers. If a teenager here has any aspirations to play overseas they should be gracing the A-League in their teens.
The problem lies lower down. The cost to play the game of football as a junior has become the death knell for the game and talent in this country. As stated on several occasions the best payers are the ones selected now, and not the best players. Those whose parents can afford to pay $2000 a season are the ones who are playing, not necessarily the best players. It is a very sad state of affairs when players with potential are overlooked simply because they are a payment risk. (Are the Best Payers Replacing the Best Players?)
Clubs at junior level and NPL level have been starved of financial support, but have had added costs thrust upon them. Understandably they want to have players who pay their fees on time and every time, as that reduces their end of season losses.
However the exorbitant fees have now created another problem. If a parent is paying $2000 for their child to play football, they want their child to play football. They are not happy to see him sitting on the bench. So they will berate the coach and they will complain to the club, and the atmosphere becomes highly charged. No longer is it about children competing for places in the team on the pitch, but their parents competing to be heard to ensure that their child plays every week and their $2000 is not being wasted.
The end result is those that are not getting a game leave. Clubs are now cautious when it comes to selecting a squad as some parents will demand a refund if they choose to leave and their child has not played. They also do not want too big a squad as it limits the arguments when a certain child is not playing. So ultimately the pools of players from the best payers is diminishing before our very eyes.
Sadly those administering the game, whose sole focus has been the small percentage of players at the elite end of the game have sat in their ivory towers and ignored the game playing out before them.
Thus proving that the game truly is being run by three wise monkeys. First there was speak no evil, anyone who criticised their methods was ostracised and accused of being ‘a sniper.’ Then there was hear not evil, where they closed their ears to the criticism that was being levelled at them by people in the know, with runs on the board in terms of developing players. Now finally after witnessing a torturous world cup qualifying campaign which exposed flaws, they hoped that paying a foreign coach over a million dollars to coach seven games would hide what everyone else could see. Even after the way the team played against Jordan those at the FFA no doubt simply plucked their rose-tinted spectacles from their noses, gave them a quick polish and put them back in place, for they can see no evil.
The problem is not with Graham Arnold, or the players. It is with those running the game. Sure the players could play with a little more of the passion that fans expect from Australian teams, but it is not the fault of those selected that the system has failed them. They are the best of the current crop of players, and deserve the support of a nation as they do the best they can.
Hopefully if he is true to his word, new FFA Chair, Chris Nikou, will be transparent with the fans and all involved with the game in Australia and after the Asian Cup instigate a full investigation into the current development pathway and why it is failing the game.
Sorry for the late reply Tc, thanks for commenting. Totally agree with you. When you are young you play for a club close to home and with your friends, then the good ones move on and start to climb the playing ladder. The system wasn’t broken but the FFA felt they needed to change it and are paying a heavy price.
Just talking about this the other day. There are many problems with the game but biggest issue is at the grassroots. The NPL at junior level is and I feel will continue to be a complete disaster. Until they scrap it and let the juniors be juniors with a strong district system for the elite, it will continue to produce parents and players who think they are superstars but are realistically average players lacking the technical/tactical/mental skills to progress to the next level.
All White, Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I have to admit that like you I worry that Fox will not renew the deal when this one expires and football will no longer be on television, there will be no subsidy for the owners and they will walk away. The only thing that works in the game’s favour is Television stations need content, Football gives them plenty. The issue will be what is that content worth if the viewing figures are not there?
There is no doubt money has to be invested in junior football, so that fees are heavily reduced or scrapped. YOU are right re Rogic but to be fair Mooy came through the NSW program, so some players have come through the development programs, but clearly not enough to go on and grace the top leagues.
Thank you Gary. I know people like yourself have been saying these things for a while, and as I said those in power are failing to listen. I agree change has to happen and the board must drive it. Thanks for commenting.
Ashley,
You have made quite a few valid points which many of us have been raising.
The game in Australia needs to have change, & hopefully the new FFA board will instigate change within the next 12 months.
Young players are not getting the opportunity to play at a high level on a regular basis.
Coaches are not prepared to take the risk to play youngsters.
Keep up your good work.
Well said!! Of all the crap I have read after the Jordan defeat this is the one that sums up the problem best.
You and many others have been saying for years the structure is wrong but the people at the top do not listen. Australian football is going backwards. The A-League is awful, the commentary is apart from Simon Hill, boring and bland. It will soon disappear from our screens and football will be back where it was in the 1990’s.
The only way to change that is to start funding the bottom end of the game and developing players that are good enough to make it at the top clubs. Rogic was not a part of any development program yet he made it, how many others have from the FFA’s pathway?